Combined bumper and guide for automatic bowling pin setting machines



Oct. 30, 1962 Filed Aug. 12, 1960 T. M. MURPHY COMBINED BUMPER AND GUIDE FOR AUTOMATIC BOWLING PIN SETTING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 30, 1962 T. M. MURPHY 3,061,309

COMBINED BUMPER AND GUIDE FOR AUTOMATIC BOWLING PIN SETTING MACHINES Filed Aug. 12, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 R Am.

INVENTOR J/Mor/W/W. Mam/y BY I W ATTORNEY Oct. 30, 1962 1-. M. MURPHY COMBINED BUMPER AND GUIDE FOR AUTOMATIC BOWLING PIN SETTING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 12, 1960 INVENTOR ATTORNEY WW /Ir M- M W United States Patent Oflfice Patented Oct. 30, 1962 3,061,309 COMBINED BUMPER AND GUIDE FOR AUTO- MATIC BOWLING PIN SETTING MACHINES Timothy M. Murphy, 7015 D St., Seat Pleasant, Md.

' Filed Aug. 12, 1960, Ser. No. 49,300

3 Claims. (Cl. 27343) This invention relates to a combined bumper and guide for automatic bowling pin setting machines of the type comprising a pit for receiving out-of-play bowling pieces, 'a horizontally and laterally moving belt forming the bottom of the pit and moving said pieces onto a second rearwardly moving belt that begins the alignment of said pieces, a third narrower belt beside the second belt to receive pieces from the delivery end of the second belt and to further the alignment of the pieces in single file thereon and coaxially in the direction of movement thereof and piece-elevator structure at the delivery end of the third belt.

While presently known machines of the herein disclosed type have been generally satisfactory, I have found therein an objectionable tendency of the pins and balls to jam up at the entrance to the elevator zone. Also the conventional wooden bumper member below the kick back cushion tends to split or break. The present invention overcomes these objections by providing an unbreakable metallic bumper member faced and refaceable with sheet plastic material and having an angled and beveled end extension that guides the pins and balls into the elevator zone so as to prevent the above-mentioned jamming, while also eliminating the need of a floor-mounted shield or guide heretofore considered necessary.

It is accordingly a principal object of this invention to provide a combined bumper and guide for automatic pin setting machines.

It is another object to provide such a device made of sheet metal bent into sel-f-rigidifying cross section and bent at one end to define an angled and beveled guide portion.

It is a further object to provide such a device in which the surface is covered and is easily and inexpensively re-faceable with sheet plastic material.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a preferred embodiment of the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the disclosure of FIG- URE 1,

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view from the rear of the FIGURE 1 showing,

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation in 7 section taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view in section taken on the line '55 of FIGURE 3.

With reference now to the drawings, the numeral 11 generally designates the herein disclosed and modified portion of an automatic pin setting machine of known construction. Apparatus 11 comprises a pinand ballreceiving pit member 13 formed of heavy-gauge sheet metal and having integral stepped flanges 15 and 17 defining the side walls thereof.

A major portion of the pit defined by member 13 is floored by a continuous horizontally disposed belt 19, stretched around parallel rollers 21 and 23 and driven by the latter. Roller 23 is fixed to shaft 25 which is driven by the gear train 27-28 housed in the gear box 29. Gear 27 is fixed to shaft 31 which extends forwardly to another gear box and train (not shown) for driving the gutter-mounted belts of the herein undisclosed portion of the apparatus, and the follower (also not shown) by which the pinand ball-moving belt '33 is driven. Belt 33 moves the pins and balls forwardly to the deflector 35 which deflects them one-by-one onto the narrower belt 37. Belt 37, because of its narrow width and its relatively depressed position relative to belt 33 and the ledge 39, tends automatically to align the 'axes of the pins P in the direction of travel of belt 37 so that they will not block the entrance to the elevator zone. by getting cross-wise thereof, which would still happen with objectionable frequency in the absence of the guide forming an essential part of the present invention and hereinafter described.

Belt 37 is driven by roller 41 mounted on a shaft 43, in turn, driven by the gear train 44 coupled to shaft 31.

Shaft 31.also mounts gear 45 which drives the gear train 4748. Gear 48 is fixed to shaft 49. Shaft 49 has fastened thereto a pair of sprockets 50 and 51 for driving the continuous sprocket chains 53 and 54 on which are evenly spacedly fixed the pinand ball-engaging cleats 55.

A parallel and synchronously driven elevator structure generally designated 57 cooperates with the firstdescribed elevator structure. A conventional padded kick-back cushion member 59 swingingly supported on a bail-shaped rod 61, completes the part of the pin setting machine into which the herein disclosed and claimed bumper and guide generally designated 63 is incorporated.

Novel device 63 comprises a bumper portion proper 65 and a (desirably integrally) joined angularly disposed guide portion 67. Both parts are preferably formed of sheet metal bent (or extruded) to have the cross sections and shapes disclosed (enlarged in FIGURES 4 and 5). Bumper portion 65 is supported on the bottom of the pit member 13 adjacent its rear edge by a pair of bracket arms 69 fixed (as by welding of their bases 70 to the rear walls of box-beam sections 71 snugly fitted therein and welded in place). Sections 71 serve both as arm-anchoring means and as bumper-rigidifying and strengthening elements.

Arms 69 are desirably connected by pivot pins 73 to brackets 75 the bases 77 of which are welded to a downturned flange 13 at and on the rear edge of the pit member 13. The far end of bumper portion 65 (-FIG- URE 1) is undercut to form a notch for seating on the step defined by the side flange 17 of pit member 13. Hard but not brittle blocks 79 and 80 of rubber or like material are attached to the under surfaces of portion 65 to serve as somewhat resilient supports therefor.

The pin and ball guide portion 67 of member 63 is bent horizontally at an angle of the order of 45 relative to portion 65, and has its front face 67) sloping downwardly toward the belt 37 at an angle of about twenty degrees from the vertical. The lower rear corner of face 67 has a downwardly and laterally curved tongue portion 67! which prevents the tip of a pin entering the depression behind the left end of the roller 34 over which the belt 33 passes. The top and front faces of the portions 65 and 67 are covered by sheets 81 of vinyl or other tough and resilient plastic or equivalent materials. The vinyl sheet material can be easily and economically replaced so that the life of the member 63 can thus be indefinitely extended.

While but one form of the invention has been shown and described herein, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many minor modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an automatic bowling pin setting machine comprising a pit structure for receiving out-of-play bowling pieces, a continuous horizontally moving belt adapted J to begin alignment of said pieces into single file, means in said pit structure for moving said pieces onto said belt, a second narrower horizontally moving belt positioned to receive pieces from the delivery end of said first belt and to substantially further the alignment of said pieces in single file and coaxially with the direction of movement thereof, and piece-elevator structure having a piece-receiving portion at the delivery end of said narrower belt, the improvement comprising: a transversely disposed bumper member adjacent and above the bottom portion of said pit, and horizontally disposed guide means mounted at one end of said bumper member and integrally joined thereto so as to constitute an angularly disposed extension thereof, said guide means having a length greater than the diameter of any of said bowling pieces and terminating closely adjacent an edge of said narrower belt and being disposed at an angle thereto of the order of 45 to cammingly engage and guide pieces thereon into the piece-receiving portion of said elevator without danger of jamming, said bumper member and guide means being formed of sheet metal bent into self-rigidifying angled-faced bar shape and having the piece-engaging faces thereof covered with somewhat resilient sheet plastic removably and replaceably adhered thereto, the front piece-engaging face of said guide means being downwardly and forwardly sloped at roughly twenty degrees to provide an automatic jampreventing lifting of pieces pressed thereagainst.

2. The invention according to claim 1 additionally comprising supporting arms for said member fixed to said member and to said pit structure, said arms being medially articulated whereby said bumper is swingable between its bumper-forming position and an out-of-way position to the rear thereof to facilitate its repair or to facilitate access to other pit-contained structures.

3. The invention according to claim 1, said guide means having a tongue extension at its lower rear extremity adapted to prevent dropping of the tips of said pieces into the over-roller depression at the delivery end of said narrower belt.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,920,891 Sherman Jan. 12, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 569,881 Canada Feb. 3, 1959 

